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Building key to survival, Glenwood resort says

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Sunlight Mountain Resort has lost nearly $1 million over the past 11 years and needs to be able to build a base village to survive, a company official said Wednesday night.

Officials representing the resort and its would-be developer urged the Garfield County Planning Commission not to follow the recommendation of the county’s building and planning staff to turn down a proposed residential and commercial development at the resort.

Richard Schafstall, president and chairman of Sunlight Inc., said the company has made money only three times in the past 11 years.

“Our infrastructure is old. We must have a plan to improve it,” he said.

That plan is to sell the resort to a Florida-based developer. Sunlight went under contract to be sold in 2006, and the sale is contingent on the developer winning approval to develop the resort.

Sunlight Mountain Development LLC wants to build 830 residential units and 110,000 square feet of commercial space on 468 acres, to provide income to pay for new lifts and other mountain improvements. It needs a zoning change, from low-density residential to recreation, which the building and planning department has advised against.

The Planning Commission planned to postpone a decision until next Wednesday night.

County building and planning director Fred Jarman told the commission the Sunlight developers are in essence asking for a high-density residential and commercial designation rather than a recreation one.

Larry Green, an attorney representing the developers, said he didn’t think the county’s comprehensive plan was meant to prohibit commercial and residential development that assures the viability of the ski area.